West Coast Flirt
by the-ivory-keys
Summary: Mandie Akeman had everything. Beauty, Money, Guys. What happens when she meets the hottest guy she's ever seen? Flirting is her weapon for the hunt…and her unknown path of destruction.
1. Rich, Blonde, & Beautiful

** Chapter One: Rich, Blonde, & Beautiful**

As soon as the yellow fuzz left his racket, I knew there was no way I could return his serve. Like a bullet piercing thin air, the tennis ball zoomed over the net, entrancing me with its speed. I stuck my racket out and barely tapped the small round ball and it zoomed right back at him. He took another swing, sending it straight towards me. "_Perfect_," I thought to myself, as I sent a short ball. His shoes squeaked on the court as he ran up to hit, but after one wrong step, he went, racket and all, face down on the court. The yellow tennis ball, almost as if it was mocking him, bounced its third…fourth bounce and rolled right next to his sprawled out body.

"I win…again," I said, chuckling to myself. My best friend, Mark Tanner, rolled over onto his back and smiled.

"Okay, no more tennis. It's not my sport." He said, standing back up. We wandered back over to the tennis benches and sat down. I took a long sip of water and Mark continued staring at me. His brown hair was stuck to his forehead and his brown eyes kept their eyes steady on my face.

"What?" I asked, smiling and packing up my racket. Mark shrugged.

"Just trying to imagine you surfing." He said laughing. I raised my eyebrows.

"Mark Tanner! You know very well I, Mandie Akeman, cannot surf to save my life." I said, punching the side of his arm. Mark laughed.

"I dare you to try one more time to surf. I'm even offering to help you!" he said, giving me a quirky nod. I giggled and picked up my red tennis bag.

"So you're basically asking me to go to the beach with you today?" I said, leaning on one leg. Mark rolled his eyes and smiled with his perfect teeth. Did I ever mention how amazingly attractive Mark was?

"Are you implying you want to go to the beach today?" he asked.

"Maybe," I said and winked at him. Mark continued smiling and we both headed to his car.

"I don't mind going to the beach, except I need to change. So, can we stop by your place?" he asked putting the keys into his Mercedes car ignition. I nodded and cranked up his stereo once the car turned on.

Slipping on my sunglasses, I took my hair out of my pony-tail and let it fly in the wind as we sped off to my home in Mark's silver Mercedes convertible. As we traveled along the road bordering the ocean and I saw the sun high in the sky beating down on all the people set up on the beach.

I lived up in a beach house right on the beach. That's partly why it's called a "Beach House". I could easily walk twenty feet, and I'd be right on the sparkling white sand of "Golden Coral Beach". My beach house also managed to be a mansion, but I like leaving out that detail to most people. Not that I don't love having all these things, but I honestly feel like I don't deserve any of it. All I did was decide to live with my dad when my parents divorced, and all of a sudden my dad got the perfect Music Producing Job, and we ended up living in the most beautiful house in all of Los Angeles!

"So how was her serve today?" my dad asked Mark. We had finished changing and wanted a snack. Mark shrugged.

"You know same as usual. Beastly and amazing." He winked taking a bite out of an apple. Mark James Tanner was my best friend. He had been my best friend since the fifth grade when we were paired up for the science fair project. Automatically I gained ultimate popularity and friends. Without Mark, I wouldn't be the girl I am today. Of course, the only reason he had befriended me in the first place was because I was new, and he felt bad. But I never complained.

"We're going to head out to the beach. No worries, we will be home by eight," I winked at my dad and grabbed a towel from the closet next to the kitchen. My dad nodded and headed back to his office.

"Wait! One thing! Mandie!" my dad called. I headed past the large oak doors to his office. My dad had multiple platinum records hung around his office. I saw so many famous faces in this office each and every day. I loved my dad's job. Jonah Akeman, Music Producer for West Coast Records, was the ultimate producer. He could find the perfect people at the perfect time.

I noticed my reflection in a Britney Spears' record for "You Drive Me Crazy". My long platinum blonde hair (dyed of course) was the perfect straight length, and my bright blue eyes just helped my image all together. Wow, I was a pretty prideful girl.

(Note to self #5: Humble yourself.)

I made mental notes to myself. As weird as it sounds, it really gets you far in life.

"Yes dad?" I asked placing my hands on the front of his desk. My dad lowered his glasses and smiled.

"We have a new family staying with us." He said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Is this for one of your charity reasons?" I asked, laughing. My dad shook his head.

"No, I ran into them at the airport. They have two kids and the father lost his job. We have the whole east wing of our house with no one living in it. So I decided, "Why not?" It's the least I can do! They even offered to be our maids for minimum charge! It's a nice thing I've decided to do. They'll be here in a few minutes, so be sure to introduce yourself when you come home, okay?" he asked and smiled. I nodded.

"Love you daddy!" I said and blew him an air-kiss. I strutted out of his office to see Mark still standing in the kitchen.

"Ready?" I asked him and tossed my hair. Mark winked at me and we both headed out to the beach. Setting up, I noticed how many people were out on the waves today.

"I refuse to learn with all those people out there," I told Mark and gave him my best puppy-dog eyes. Mark rolled his eyes, smiled, and took off his shirt. Wow. I was not expecting the most amazing body ever. Normally Mark always wore a t-shirt. We hung out all the time, but he was so modest, it was adorable! Did I ever think about dating Mark? Sure! But not while my other best friend, Cassie, liked him! And she was on vacation, so she wouldn't have to know that I was hanging out with him alone. A little flirting wouldn't harm her would it?

I took off my tank top and shorts and laid out a towel. Mark's eyes widened. I smiled.

"What?" I asked, tossing my hair once more. Mark eyes just kept looking at me.

"Today, you just look…beautiful." He whispered in awe. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I blushed and winked.

"Have fun surfing," I said and applied sunscreen to myself. It took Mark a second to realize that I had dismissed him. He tore his gaze and grabbed his surfboard and headed out to the waves. I laughed to myself and put on my sunglasses.

"So, is that your boyfriend?" I heard a deep voice behind me. I spun around quickly to view…well… I don't even know what I saw it was so amazing. The cutest guy I had ever seen in my entire life was standing before me. I had to take off my sunglasses to see him. Beach blonde hair and dark green eyes… I think I was in love. He smiled…with perfect teeth! I shook my head super fast and smiled my best smile. He just smiled back, didn't say a word, and headed to the waves.


	2. England is on the West Coast

**England is now in the East**

"Today was fun," I smiled, hugging Mar k goodbye. Mark smiled and headed to his Mercedes. Turning around, I walked into my house and straight into my kitchen where my dad was drinking his coffee. Most of the lights in the house were off, and I was a bit suspicious of why.

"Hey, dad," I said walking up to him. He smiled weakly at me and motioned for me to sit down. I was very confused, but sat down across from him at the table. "Is something wrong?" I asked, setting my stuff down on the table. My dad shook his head and took another sip of coffee. He held up the newspaper and started reading. I was so confused. "Dad? Do you need to talk to me?" I asked again. My dad just smiled. I stood up, and grabbed my bag.

"How were the waves?" he finally asked, his eyes still on the paper. I shrugged.

"Same old, same old. Nothing huge. Mark had fun on them." I said, slowly. My dad chuckled.

"You know, I think that boy has something for you," my dad claimed, smiling even larger. I rolled my eyes.

"Really dad? Were just friends, I promise." I said and walked over, kissed him on the cheek and headed up to my bedroom. Entering my black and pink bedroom, I opened up the window and looked out over the ocean. My bedroom window opened up to the beach and the mood was shining down upon the waves. I normally fell asleep in my bean bag chair, sketching drawings of anything that popped into my head. Secret Confession: I was an artist, secretly. I could paint, draw, sketch anything with ease, but if anyone knew about it, I feel like it would make me seem…different than all the sport jockeys at school. I would be the weird artistic chick, with new and different ideas. It would lower my status! Stupid idea, I know. But it's like in California, sports were the way in. Not arts. That's why I stuck with tennis.

Today was just like any other day. I went to the beach with Mark, made sure I winked at all the guys around me, received the attention I normally got, and then flirted with Mark when he took at break from the waves. The exception today though, was that instead of watching Mark surf; I kept my eyes on Mr. Hot Stuff. He could rip those waves like they were nothing. He was insanely talented. He left way before I did, but I couldn't believe I had never seen him on the beach before. Hopefully he wasn't on vacation. I was looking forward to getting to know that beach hottie a little more…

I hopped in the shower, letting the warm water rinse over my body. Stepping out, I wrapped a towel around me and headed out into my bedroom, brushing out my long wet hair. Shuffling through my drawers I let out a long sigh. I had left my pajamas in the laundry room, halfway across the house. I yanked open my bedroom door and headed out into the dark hallways of my house.

I entered the dark laundry room and noticed all my clean clothes were already in my basket. This day was so weird. My dad never helped with laundry. Picking up the basket, I turned around and ran right into someone. I almost screamed when I heard a deep laugh and then the figure flipped on the light switch. I suddenly made a squeaky noise when I noticed who it was.

Mr. Hot Stuff was standing, beach blonde hair, right in front of me, and his green eyes were staring straight at me. My mouth was wide open and then I realized I was still in my towel. I probably had the most surprised look on my face.

"I'm sorry, I was just coming in to do my laundry…I took yours out for you to make room for mine…if that was okay." He said. I suddenly noticed his amazing English accent. A surfer with an English accent? You don't meet those every day on the West Coast.

"No, its fine. Uh, I… should probably…get going…to get dressed…" I stuttered out, trying to comprehend what was going on here. He laughed and got out of my way.

"Don't worry about it. I'll pretend you were wearing something other than a towel." He laughed. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. I was so embarrassed. But why the heck was this hot guy in my house? Doing his laundry…in my laundry room?

I ran up to my room, slammed the door shut and slipped into my pajamas. Hoping I would run into him again, I put on my boy-shorts and tank top and pulled my hair back into a high pony-tail. I scurried down the stairs and into my dad's office. Right as I entered I noticed the four people standing in my dad's office. Mr. Hot Stuff was standing next to a younger girl who was holding onto her mother's hand. The father was talking to my father. I entered the office and cleared my throat.

My dad lowered his glasses and smiled. "Mandie! So glad for you to join us. These are the Stevens! They are actually from London! How amazing is that? They were the family I was telling you about…the ones staying in the east wing of our home?" he said, motioning to them. I smiled, making good eye contact with Mr. Hot Stuff.

"Hello, I'm Mandie," I said offering my hand. They shook it smiling.

"Hello, I'm Edward Stevens, this is my beautiful wife, Lilly, and our two kids, Andrew and his younger sister, Anna." He said, introducing them. I shook all of their hands.

"So, now that you are well acquainted, Mandie, why don't you give Andrew and Anna a tour of the house?" my dad asked. I nodded. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, with all due respect, I'm tired, and would rather not have to walk all over this dark house with an almost naked teenage girl," he spat, giving me a sly smile. My mouth was hanging wide open. I can't believe he just said that!

My dad chuckled. "Wise boy, you've got there. No problem Andrew. I'll show you all around in the morning." He said.

"He found the laundry room alright," I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms. I wandered out of my dad's office feeling angry and embarrassed. I wandered up the stairs to hear someone behind me. I felt a tug on my arm. "What?" I almost screamed spinning around. Andrew was standing there, his beautiful eyes looking at me.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure. Just next time, keep your comments to yourself please," I said, heading towards my room again. Andrew grabbed my arm once more.

"It was uncalled for, I understand. But honestly, I don't want to have to run into you with a towel on purpose. I'm not going to hang out with you because of the amount of clothes you wear on your body. It'd be helpful if you were actually modest. Since I AM living in a house with you. Just please, wear sweats next time," he winked and headed off in the other direction.

For the first time in my life, a guy told me he wanted me modest. He didn't look at me as an object. Why the heck was that? He was actually angered by the fact that I almost wore nothing on me! That was astounding. There was a lot I needed to learn about this boy. And I was planning on trying my hardest to get the most perfect guy in the world, to like me back. Even if it meant changing the way I came across to him…


	3. Tea Time

**Author's Note: Sorry. I have been super busy moving. BUT here is chapter three. I hope it makes up for it :)**

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Chapter Three: Tea Time

Rubbing my eyes I started down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pouring myself a bowl of cereal, I then realized the four sets of eyes on me. Turning I saw Andrew's whole family eyeing my down. I froze and then realized the cereal was pouring out of my bowl. Startled, I quickly wiped it up and tried to pick up the pieces that had fallen.

Embarrassed, I then slid into my seat and began eating. Why did my chewing seem so loud? I realized I wasn't as hungry anymore. I saw Andrew's lips creep into a smile as he continued focusing on his food. Anna, with her dark brown hair and all, wouldn't even make eye contact with me.

As I threw my dishes away, I noticed my purse lying on the counter. I had forgotten it when I had come home from the beach yesterday! Picking it up, I heard the dangle of my key chains. I then saw my debit card, peeking out at me from my Coach wallet. Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into my head. Maybe Andrew's perfectness was rubbing off on me!

"Hey Anna?" I asked, turning to face her. Her entire family looked at me, surprised that I was actually talking. Anna's big green eyes sparkled at me. "Would you like to…um… go to the mall with me? I'm offering to buy you a new top or something. You know, just so we can get to know each other." I asked, hopeful. Anna looked at her parents and a smile crept onto her lips.

"Can I please go?" her English accent tingled in the air. Her mother nodded and smiled at me with a 'Thank you' in her eyes. Anna hopped up from the table and ran to get ready for our outing to the mall. Anna was about thirteen, but I didn't mind. It would be like having a little sister!

"Do you think I could tag along?" Andrew asked, smirking at me. I rolled my eyes. He was looking cuter and cuter each day. I shrugged.

"If you want. I'll buy you some sunglasses," I offered. Andrew just smiled and brushed past me. I traveled up the stairs and into my room. I pulled out some Capri jean shorts and a nice tank top. I threw on a grey cardigan and grabbed my purse and sunglasses. This was the most modest I had been in weeks. I came down the stairs to be greeted by Anna and Andrew.

We piled into my BMW white convertible. I slipped on my sunglasses. Andrew sat in shotgun. I flipped on the radio to Kiss FM and I heard Andrew chuckle.

"What? Do you have a problem with my music too?" I asked, backing out of the driveway. Andrew just smiled and took out a CD from his pocket and put it in my car stereo. Suddenly the pop music changed into elegant piano playing. I slammed on the breaks. "Seriously? Andrew…this is my car. My music. I don't want to listen to some classical piano pieces." I said, looking at him. Andrew just smiled at me with his perfect teeth.

"Give it a rest Mandie. You'll grow to love it. Besides, it's better for the brain. It's soothing. And I go by Drew. Not Andrew. Just for the record." He winked. My heart melted. Then I realized what had just happened. Great. Now I'll be traveling down the boardwalk in a fancy convertible blasting not Usher nor Mike Posner, but Mozart and Beethoven. (_Mental Note to Self: Convince Daddy to buy Drew his own car.) _

"So do you play piano?" Drew asked after we had traveled in silence most the way. I froze.

"Maybe a little," I muttered, still irritated about the piano music. Drew looked impressed.

"How long?" he asked again. I thought about it.

"Since I was six. So ten years," I said, gritting through my teeth. Drew clapped.

"Wow. Well you need to play for me sometime," he said, amused. I almost had a fit.

"No. I don't play for anyone except my dad. I'm not amazing at it. I just do it for fun." I said, keeping my cool. Drew shrugged again and seemed to be in deep thought. We finally arrived at Gold Star Mall. Parking, I got out, locked it, and all three of us, including silent Anna, walked in.

We started in Forever 21. Drew just huffed and puffed the whole time. As hot as he was, I couldn't help but be annoyed by him at the same time. I pulled out a cute looking tank top and showed it to Anna. She smiled and soon began talking about all the cute trends she noticed in magazines.

"Is it alright if I get some Apple Bottom jeans? I hear they are the rave in America." She said, looking for her size in the stack of jeans. I chuckled. I had never even read half the magazines she was talking about.

"You know Anna. I think I have a special lesson to teach you," I said, winking at her.

"This ought to be good," I heard Drew mutter under his breath. I shot him a look and turned back to Anna.

"The thing you need to remember is that the only way there can be a trend…is if someone STARTS the trend. So why don't you be that someone? Don't be ashamed of it. In Cali, everyone wants to be noticed." I said. Anna's eyes widened.

"Well, I don't know how to start something…" she said, her voice getting quieter. I looked at her outfit. I noticed the brightly neon colored bow in it.

"Do you wear a lot of bows?" I asked. She nodded.

"I've got all the colors of the rainbow. So many, I bought my own container for them." She said excited. I smiled. Looking over at the accessories I noticed a zebra striped bow.

"Why don't you start an animal bow trend? Everyone who wears one will be noticed…hmm… and to match, why don't you get a zebra purse! Ooh! You could get cheetah…and tiger… think of all the possibilities!" I said, finding myself getting excited. Anna's green eyes brightened up at me and she hurried over and tried on the zebra bow and purse.

"With this and the purse…its way to expensive. I can't ask you to pay that much." She said, setting the purse down. I laughed and brought out my debit card.

"My pleasure. Don't worry about it okay?" I said and brought the items to the counter. As we walked out of the store Anna couldn't stop beaming. I actually had a weird type of warm feeling inside me. Like, she was happy, and I was happy as well. Man, I feel like a horrible person! Good people get that feeling all the time? Right?

After buying Drew's aviators (which took about an hour, let me tell you. English men are worse shoppers than women are), we headed out to the car. Driving home, I didn't mind the piano music so much. In fact, I even recognized one of the pieces. Drew didn't say a word and his fingers drummed on the car door the entire way home.

When we pulled in my driveway I saw Mark leaning on the hood of his car, his arms crossed. Dang it. Did I do something? Drew smirked a little bit. Anna hopped out, as happy as can be, and skipped up the driveway and into the house, completely ignoring Mark. Right as I was about to open the door, Drew grabbed my arm.

"I know I've been a jerk lately, and I apologize. But really, thank you so much. Anna hasn't been thrilled about the move. And she hasn't been that happy in months. You do have a thoughtful side that I didn't see. I'm sorry for judging you so quickly. Please, let me make it up to you. Dinner? Friday night? I hear there is a great Italian place down the block," he said.

"Guido's?" I asked, a smile forming. Drew nodded.

"Consider it a… friendly hang out… a friend…date." He said. My heart leapt.

"Of course! It sounds fun! Maybe we can head down the boardwalk to the carnival. I know its cliché, but there are some games you can actually win at." I laughed. Drew smiled.

"Thank you today was actually…fun. I enjoyed it." He said, getting out of the car. He walked past Mark and gave him a nod. Mark kept his gaze on me. I sighed.

"Hey there," I said cheerfully, walking up to him. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Don't 'Hey there' me Mandie. What were you doing with that guy? I saw you guys at the mall. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend." He said. I laughed.

"Mark. They're a family from England staying with us right now. I took him and his little sister to the mall so I could get to know them better. Why do you care so much?" I asked. Mark shrugged and looked away.

"Mandie, do we have something together?" he asked. My eyes widened.

"Mark, you're my friend, okay?" I said. Mark shook his head.

"Aren't we more than that?" he asked. I didn't know what to say. Mark was the cutest guy at our high school, the guy I flirted with the most. But yet, my attraction was to Drew… but I wanted Mark there as my stand by guy. What kind of player was I?

Mark stepped forward and pressed his nose against mine. "Think about it, baby," he whispered and leaned out and walked to his car. My eyes widened. I quickly took off inside, noticing Drew standing in the doorway, looking at me smirking.


	4. The Pond Isn't Big Enough

**Soooooo. I'm trying my best to make the main character not a jerk.**

**But you see her true side in this chapter. The changes she needs to make. :) enjoy and please review! I need all the help I can get!**

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Chapter Four: The Pond Isn't Big Enough

"I'm a horrible person!" I moaned on the coach. Drew was sitting next to me, Anna was upstairs. I felt the tears run down my face. "What am I going to do?" I moaned even louder. Drew just kept handing me tissue after tissue.

"I'm just surprised that you let him get that close to you! What a jerk! Invading your bubble like that. If I were you I would have slapped him across the face." Drew muttered. His words of encouragement were…lame.

"You don't understand! You're a good person Drew! I'm a horrible player! I go through guys like you go through your tea time each and every day! I flirt and look for attention and drop guys like it's no big deal. And now I'm torn in between two amazing guys and one of them is my best friend! I don't want to be in this mess! Why do I have to be so pretty?" I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Drew laughed this time.

"You're such a drama queen. I bet if our parents were home you would be acting like you are just fine. You're an amazing actress, I'll give you that." He said. I felt like Drew could see right through me and see the "me" that really lurked inside this fake Mandie. I was so insecure and I craved attention like I craved air. Would there ever be a guy out there who would love the real Mandie? And ignore all my mistakes?

"You're a horrible comforter, you know that?" I said, chuckling through my tears. When did I last cry about my problems? Too long ago… Drew just smiled and put his arm around me hugging me tight.

"You're changing Mandie. Weird, but true. My comforting is helping." He said smiling. I smiled a horrible smile right back and stood up.

"I even dressed modest for once." I said, giggling. Drew nodded.

"I noticed." He said, standing up also. "So we still have a date Friday right?" he asked. I nodded and headed for the kitchen.

"Wow. I've never randomly broken down like that, I apologize. I guess a lot of feelings were overwhelming today… and my heart couldn't handle it… You're very comfortable to be around. Thank you," I said, smiling. Drew leaned on the counter across from me.

"So you're torn between this, Mark guy and someone else? Who is the other one?"" he asked grinning. I felt my face turn red.

"Don't worry about it," I winked. Drew chuckled. "So are you up for surfing?" I asked him. Drew shrugged. He liked to do that… shrug things off. Drew nodded and headed upstairs to change. I wandered up the stairs to see Anna standing by my door.

"Hey, do you need something?" I asked her. Anna smiled and me.

"Thank you for today. It was a lot of fun." She said. She then brought out a home-made card. I felt the warm fuzzy butterfly feeling again. "You're an awesome friend." She continued to say. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes again.

"Thank you," I managed to whisper, taking the card. Anna took off down the hallway. I opened the door to my room and almost screamed. Mark was climbing in through my window.

"Can I help you?" I demanded, stomping over to my window. Mark laughed.

"Hey, thought I would surprise you. Have you been thinking about me?" he asked, his eyes peeled on me. He finally got in my room and sat on my bed. I was too appalled to say anything.

"Get out. I'm surprised you had the guts to even come back here after invading my bubble!" I said, referring to Drew's words downstairs. Mark's eyes widened.

"So you can date all these other guys who hug you and kiss your forehead and snuggle with you at parties, but your best friend can't even come near you? Wow. Harsh." He said, standing up.

"I'm different now Mark. I've thought about things. I need to stop with all of this flirting. You're my friend. That's all you can be right now okay? I can't have you any other way. Please, don't ruin this right now. I'm not going to be a player anymore. It only took me one afternoon to figure that out. Don't leave me upset." I said. Mark shook his head.

"Can't believe this. What happened to you Mandie. You sound like a freaking soap opera. Normal girls don't act this way." He said, grabbing my hand. I looked into Mark's big brown eyes and then saw his perfectly tan body. What was I saying goodbye to? My mind completely fuzzed out and I felt myself saying no to Drew's advice. I squeezed Mark's hand.

"I'm not allowed to have boys in my room," I whispered in his ear. Mark smiled and pulled me in for a hug.

"Ah, baby, you worry too much," he said back, rubbing my back. I quickly pulled away and showed him to my window.

"Beach time. Tomorrow. Okay?" I said, batting my eyelashes. Mark winked.

"You know I'll be there," he said, and he kissed my cheek. He headed out my window and I punched myself in the gut. What the heck was I doing? My instincts told me to flirt. My heart told me to run to Drew for protection. What was I doing?

I slipped on my bikini and grabbed a towel and Drew and I headed out to the beach. I was glad Mark's car had disappeared. Setting up my towel I noticed Drew was wearing the sunglasses I bought him.

"You're gonna at least get in the water once right?" Drew asked when he noticed I didn't bring a surfboard. I laughed.

"Sure. Why not?" I asked, and we both ran into the waves. The searing cold water pierced my pores and I let out a shriek. Drew just laughed. He grabbed my hand to pull my into deeper water. He then entwined his fingers with mine and my heart leapt a million times. Why didn't I ever get butterflies with Mark? The butterflies in my tummy were going wild and I couldn't do anything to stop them. Drew pulled me in closer to him and I noticed some surfer girls eyeing him next to us. I felt a pang of jealousy as they whispered about him. I wanted to scream, "He's mine!" but I couldn't. For the first time… I would actually have someone amazing. Not someone after my hugs and kisses…but after my heart. But I don't think Drew would ever have feelings for someone like me. He couldn't. I'm such a horrible person.

Drew then let go of my hand and disappeared under the dark blue water. He didn't come up for a while and I began to worry. He had swum away! I then began frantically searching for him. All of a sudden I was picked up from something underneath the water. Screaming I heard Drew's laugher underneath me. He poked at my sides.

"You know, you're fun to mess with," he winked. For the first time I saw Drew's heart. And it was staring straight at me… for the right reasons. Forget Mark. Forget guys in general. I saw "The One". But I couldn't have him until I met his standards. _(Note to self: Stop being so dramatic and get with reality)_.

Project Mandie Akeman Remodel begins… Tomorrow. Right after I flirt with Mark a little more…


	5. I Throw Footballs Like I Flirt

Chapter Five: I Throw Footballs like I Flirt

"And that is how you do a spiral," Drew said for the millionth time. He threw the football to me. We had been tossing this leather ball for over an hour after diving in the waves. I could throw a freaking spiral, but Drew didn't think it was good enough.

"I didn't know you played football," I said as we decided to take a break. Drew shrugged.

"I mean it's not as competitive as it is in America, but you classify England as if were too proper for any of this stuff. It's absurd." He said. I chuckled.

"Well, for one, I classify you as proper because you use the word, "absurd"." I laughed punching him in the arm. Drew just rolled his eyes and smirked. He stood up and helped me up and tossed me the football. "Again?" I moaned. Drew smiled.

"Don't you want to show off in front of your hottie?" he winked and looked behind me. I spun around to see Mark. Standing there with his surfboard, giving me the 'We Need to Talk' look. Dang it. I turned back to Drew and my eyes widened. Drew just laughed and held out his hands. I quickly tossed him the ball and turned to face the worst thing in my life.

"Care to explain?" Mark asked, setting his surfboard in the sand. I smiled.

"Look, Mark… we need to talk," I said. Mark smirked at me.

"Why don't you tell pretty boy over there that if he messes with my girl, he won't be waking up alive the next morning," he growled, glaring at Drew who was innocently waiting for me to finish my conversation.

"Mark. I'm not your girl. Please. Just leave me be. I think my heart knows now what I want." I said, turning to look at Drew. Mark scoffed.

"Baby you don't know what you want. You never have. You go through so many guys and I'm always there for you. Always waiting on the sidelines while you play the field. But finally I got to the point where you actually wanted me. You always wanted me. So why can't I have you now? You're never going to find anyone at this rate. You're a player. And every guy knows it. But I'm willing to deal with it and date you. You know you want me, you know you do."

"Mark, stop. Please. I just can't take this right now okay? I know what I want. And it's not you. You want me for the stupid reasons. I won't take that anymore." I said, my voice quivering.

"Forget this. Just wait. You'll know what you're losing. Baby, you're going to regret this. More than you'll ever know," he said and took off the opposite direction. As much as I felt relieved he was gone, I still had a doubtful feeling. Was he right?

"Sorry," I mumbled as Drew passed me the football. I threw it back with a lot of force and Drew grunted.

"Take it easy there, short stuff," he called out, winking at me. I laughed.

"Me? Short? That's such an insult!" I said walking up to him. Drew laughed and started running away.

"Can I call you my little leprechaun now?" he called out, laughing. He had the most perfect laugh I had ever heard. It was so warm, so gentle. I couldn't help laughing at that.

"Shut up Drew!" I barely said, I was laughing so hard. I never knew someone could be this fast. It was amazing, just running on the beach like this. The sun gently setting over the horizon, with its mixed colors. It seemed to be creating the perfect setting. The way the light shined on my left just seemed to leave the perfect shadow on the sand on my right. It was as if God smeared the different reds, oranges, purples, and yellows all together with his finger. Without realizing it, I ran smack into Drew, almost knocking him over.

"Sorry!" I managed to whisper when I realized how close to Drew I was. He held me up with his strong arms and chuckled.

"Watch where you're going missy. You might hurt someone," he said and winked at me. My heart fluttered a bit. I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. Was he going to kiss me? Did I want this so soon? Was he like every other guy I had met? Would I regret this relationship? As all these questions were running through my head, Drew let go of my arms. No kiss, no sudden appearance of affection…he just let go. I felt a pang of anger. What? Was I not good enough for him? Was he doing his weird "good morals" thing?

"You know you're a pretty slow runner…" Drew said, as we headed back to where our stuff was. I smiled, (with effort of course) and punched him the arm.

"I'm a tennis player. Not a track star," I said, still upset with how this romantic moment had gone bad.

"You know what Mandie? I'm surprised." He said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Almost every guy on this beach watched you for at least ten minutes. No joke. Their eyes were peeled on you. But you didn't pay any attention to any of them. You didn't even notice what's-his-name standing behind you," he said, smiling brightly. I suddenly began to realize all the stares I had gotten. I hadn't cared about any of them. I was just too focused on Drew and having an amazing time having fun. I even felt fresh. I didn't care about how messy I looked!

"Wow, I didn't even notice them, honest…" I said, appalled at myself. Drew laughed.

"So what were you focused on?" he asked, his eyebrows rising and his green eyes sparkling at me. _(Note to self: Don't lie in these situations. They just ruin relationships)_ I paused for a moment.

"Having fun with you…" I said quietly. Drew smiled. He grabbed my hand as we walked back to my house.

"You're not the jerk I thought you were," he said.

"Wow, thanks," I said, winking, still trying to realize whose hand I was holding. He dropped my hand and we continued walking. As we came up to my house, I realized that the sun was inches away from setting.

"It's so beautiful," I heard Drew whisper.

"So are you," I heard myself say. Gasping I covered my hand over my mouth. Drew just sneaked a small smile. "Sorry," I whispered, and I spun around and headed into my house, my face turning bright red. Drew stayed out to watch the sun finally set. I ran up into my room and slammed my door shut. I quickly opened the window to see the stars beginning to shine down.

I grabbed my sketch book and opened it. I let my hand go free as if I could go on forever. I felt like I couldn't ever stop drawing. My hand couldn't stop. I kept going and going and even though my pencil ran short on hard lead, I kept shading and drawing and daydreaming and letting my mind escape into the world of my imagination. Colors swirled in my head as I continued drawing. Finally, I realized I had been at my sketch book for an hour. And the most amazing picture was before me. It was a drawing of Drew and my shadows as we walked back from the beach holding hands. It was the perfect light angle. And even though I saw it only for a second…it was enough to make me believe in something even more.

I had finally drawn the most beautiful thing in the world. Maybe that was what I had chased after all these years of drawing. The perfect portrait. And I had found it. Finally, I had found it. I felt a million gold sparkles fill my vision. Was I imagining it? I could see happiness, I could feel joy. Everything was perfect and being held in place for this one moment. This moment I had been waiting for my entire life and had not realized it. How could a drawing make me feel something like this? Maybe it was because in this drawing I saw something I had not believed possible. True Love. Not just love like everyone else sees is. But love. The love that only happiness and the stars in the sky can give you. And I had finally drawn it. I could put love in a drawing. I knew how. And I would do it for the rest of my life.

I finally came back to where I was. I was aimlessly looking out my window. I heard a knock on my door. I slowly got up and walked to the door to see a note taped on it. Peeling it off, I saw Drew's handwriting.

It said: "_The sunset was beautiful wasn't it? But I was thinking about what you said. And I'm not the beautiful one, Mandie. You are. I don't mean by looks. But by your heart. Tonight I saw a totally new Mandie. And she's not as ugly. You're getting there. So thank you for this wonderful night. Guess what? Tomorrow is Friday. Don't forget. Signed, Andrew"_.

I smiled. I rushed into my bedroom and pulled out the drawing. I ripped it out and hurried down the hallway to Andrew's room. It was dead silent. On the back, I wrote: _"The most beautiful drawing I've ever drawn. And you just happened to be in it. I don't know what it makes you feel, but to me I feel happiness. Pure and total joy. I'm not sure why, but I want you to have it. You're my first…REAL Best Friend. Thank you. Love, Mandie"_.

Cliché for me to write him a note after he wrote me one. But I couldn't help it. I wanted him to have it. I kissed the note, looked at the painting and slid it under his door and knocked. And then I ran down the hallway, not looking back, because I was afraid if I did, my painting would not work its magic. And I've never been so sure of magical love in my life.


	6. Side to Side

**Author's Note :)**

**Sorry, this chapter took a while. I wasn't sure what to write next, but now I know where to go :)**

**hope you enjoy it! Please rate and comment. I really really really need it! And I love it!**

**COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! RATE RATE RATE PLEASE! And I'll respond! Inbox message me tooo! I need sooo many ideas. Maybe your idea will be in my next chapter! I need plot helps and adventure things and just a big story! Please do!**

**Thank you! the-ivory-keys 3**

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Chapter Six: Side to Side

It rained today. But it was a special type of rain. It was the rain that you want to go dance in. It was hard enough to get you soaked in ten seconds. But its sweet smell made you want to stand out there and just twirl around. It had been a week since I'd drawn Drew the picture of miracles. But things stayed about the same. We laughed and watched movies in our media room late at night, and I chilled with Anna constantly. She was a very good make-up artist. I was sure to mention this to my dad. He could get her a job in Hollywood.

The rain lasted all day and never got lighter. I was bummed out that I couldn't go anywhere. Apparently someone backed out into my dad's car, so he decided to use mine. I was bored out of my mind. Drew read all day and all night it seemed like. He rarely left his room during rainy days. I sometimes heard him leave his room and go down and pour himself some hot chocolate. Then he would continue back up the stairs. Then, around eleven o'clock at night he would always knock on my door politely and I'd open and he'd be holding some old black and white classic movie. Then we would watch it and I always ended up falling asleep and he always carried me back to my bedroom. It was a constant cycle.

Thunder began to pound on the roof like it was trying to break in. The rain was loud and harsh. Lightning leapt all over the sky, making it seem like night time was over. Vibrations echoed throughout the house. I felt myself hit the floor.

Thunder scared me more than I thought. My dad always asked me, "Why are you afraid of a little thunder? What is it going to do to you?" and I always replied by telling him that I didn't know what it would do to me, but it was scary anyway.

Gasping for breath I looked around my room. The lightning was lighting up my room. I then noticed my curtains drawn back. That's why the lightning was so bright. I felt my heart begin to thud in my chest. _(Note to self: Remind Drew to close the drapes when he brings me back to bed after a movie)_

"I'll never get to sleep with the drapes wide open," I thought to myself. I forced myself to get off the floor. The thunder pounded on the house. I felt myself shaking drastically.

I approached the window. I saw the diagonal rain pounding down on my window. I reached for the curtains when a large flash of lightning struck, lighting up everything around me. And that's when I saw him. A figure was standing right in front of my window looking dead in the eye at me. I gasped for breath. I couldn't scream, I couldn't do anything. I froze right there! Suddenly the figure took something from its side and struck the window sending glass everywhere. That's when I finally screamed. I ran straight for my door, not daring to turn around. I headed straight down the hall. I couldn't see anything. It was so dark!

I've never had such an adrenaline rush before. I couldn't slow down. I had never been so scared. I felt myself begin to cry. Tears were flowing as I kept running. How long was this hallway? I heard loud footsteps behind me. Oh my goodness…

Without thinking I went straight into Drew's room. Drew awoke with a start as I slammed his door behind me and locked it.

"Mandie?" he asked as I tried to catch my breath.

"Someone…window… chasing…" I whispered through my breaths. Drew's eyes seemed to widen. Suddenly someone started banging out the door. I ran over into Drew's arms.

"Come here, help me move this," Drew whispered as he pushed his wardrobe aside. I couldn't see anything except for what the lightning lit up. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing. What was going on? I finally noticed my house alarms going off. But that wasn't stopping whoever was at the door.

Behind his wardrobe stood a wall. I was too afraid to ask why we moved that wardrobe. Drew pressed on the wall and I saw it bend in. He pressed and stepped into the wall. His wall was like a curtain, disguised! He pulled me into the wall and put the wall back like a poster. It was pitch black wherever we were. He led me up some stairs. I clung on to him as I heard the stairs squeak below me.

The stench was like old wood and old people. I was guessing we were in the attic.

"How did you find that?" I whispered, asking him about the wall.

"Your dad showed me that it was to the attic. He stored some photo albums up here, so he wanted it to be hidden." He said, as we climbed a couple more stairs. That made sense. My dad didn't like having family portraits around the house. It "mellows" his mood apparently.

We finally reached the attic. Drew and I sat at the top of the stairs and he put his arms around me, holding my close as I sobbed.

"I'm so scared," I managed to say, choking on my tears. Drew didn't say anything. He just held me there, stroking my hair or rubbing my back. He was the perfect best friend.

We suddenly heard the door get kicked down in Drew's room. Where was the rest of the family? Things were being thrown apart in Drew's room as the figure searched for me. I held my breath as the loud noises stopped. I heard a bunch of people rush into Drew's room. Then, a window shattered and we heard screams. Every time the figure threw something or made a bunch of noise, Drew tightened his grip on me, as if the entire world was going to fall apart if he found me.

"Mandie?" I heard my dad holler. Drew put his hand over my mouth; I gave him a surprised look. I tried to yell to my dad but Drew's hand was firm. What was he doing?

Drew put a finger to his lips. "Andrew! Where are you?" I heard Andrew's mother called out. Andrew had a grave look on his face. I felt more tears start to well up. Was something wrong?

I suddenly heard a low voice muttering to our parents in Drew's room. I couldn't understand who it was. Drew stood up bringing me with him. We slowly crept our way down the stairs. As we came to the back of the wall, Drew slowly pulled back the wall to look into his room. His eyes were scared. Drew? Scared? This was new for me.

I looked out to see the figure's back to us. He was pointing a gun at our parents and poor little Anna! The window was shattered next to him. The rain began to pour into the room, making the carpet soaking wet. The thunder still went throughout the entire house. It seemed like the storm was getting worse. The wind howled around us. Why wasn't the police here?

My mouth dropped open. That's why Drew didn't want me to yell to my dad. Drew was the smartest guy I had ever met! Drew pulled me closer to him.

"Where, are the stupid police?" he muttered in a shallow whisper. I leaned my head into Drew, unsure of what to do next. I probably looked a mess, in my pajama shorts and t-shirt. I stopped wearing tank tops to bed. Drew was rubbing off on me.

"What do we do?" I whispered. Drew closed his eyes and laid his head on top of mine.

"Stay safe," his English whisper rang in my ears. Drew's hand went around my waist even more and he led me away from the wall.

"Stay here, okay?"" he whispered. I was in shock.

"No, no, no," I kept saying. Drew frowned.

He crept over to the fake wall, pulled it back and ran right into the figure. The figure tried to fight back, but our parents and Anna stepped back and headed for the door. I couldn't understand what was going on. Drew was not a fighter. He was built to be a surfer, but not a football player. I couldn't watch this intruder hurt my one and only Drew. As cheesy as it sounded, Drew was my best friend. And he would always mean that much to me. Lightning and thunder seemed to crash all around me as I felt my world about to be shattered.

I then heard many boots come piling into Drew's room. Police officers were everywhere! Before they could do anything, the figure, which had a hood on, leapt out of the crashed window, and into the murky rainy air. Drew was panting for breath as the officers and paramedics came to help him. The power had gone out in the entire house, so flashlights were being used.

I came out of the attic and Drew held his arms open. I began crying even more. This was an insane night. I fell into Drew's open arms, sobbing.

"Mandie, I'm fine. We're fine. You're fine. It's all over. He's not going to get you," Drew said into my hair. I couldn't understand what was going on. I heard my dad come in and he grabbed me into a big hug.

"Be lucky you came into Drew's room. He's the one with the attic," Anna said, smiling as she came in. I pulled away from my dad and noticed he had red all over him.

"Dad! You're bleeding!" I said. My dad chuckled.

"No honey, I'm not! It's you!" he said and I looked down. I had blood all over my t-shirt. I then felt the pain in my right arm. Looking, I saw shattered glass in my arm. I hadn't noticed it before. It must have hit me when the figure shattered my window to get in.

The police officers were taking many samples around our rooms and there was a lot of discussion. I told the officers everything that had happened from the very beginning. Drew told them all about hiding me and such. The whole thing had taken about thirty minutes to take place. It all happened so fast, I couldn't even comprehend what I was feeling. I was so scared. I remained two inches from Drew at all times. For some reason I couldn't understand what was going on.

The medics were taking the glass out of my arm. It burned so badly. I couldn't cry anymore. I was too tired. It was only two in the morning! Drew stayed by my side when they took the glass out.

"I couldn't even see the glass when we were hiding. It was too dark," Drew said, cringing every time they stuck tweezers into my arm. I breathed deeply as I tried not to have a panic attack. Someone had tried to kill me! I couldn't even realize my own pain! I felt numb.

"It kills me to see this happening to you," Drew whispered as they found more glass deeper in my arm.

"I can't even feel it." I lied, as they pulled out another piece. Red blood gushed everywhere. It was all over my clothes and down my arm. I felt sick. It was too much blood.

"Drew, I fell sick," I said, turning my head up to face him. I was sitting on his bed and he was standing watching me. Drew just smiled.

"Almost done, it looks bad," he said. He had a few bruises and scratches, but nothing too bad. I couldn't even focus on Drew at the moment with all the pain in my arm and the blood to go with it.

"I really feel sick Drew." I said my head pounding. Drew rubbed my left arm.

"Its okay, it's okay," he said trying to soothe me. It wasn't working. I suddenly couldn't see him anymore. And I passed out.


	7. Bliss and Lakes

**Author's Note :)**

**OH MY! I'm sorry it took so loooong!**

**I didnt know my story was in such high demand!**

**ill go faster :)**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Bliss and Lakes

A horrible nightmare. That's what I tried to convince myself what had just happened. I had a horrible nightmare and everything was okay now. Everything was okay…

Waking up to see more blood was just as worse as falling asleep looking at blood. There was so much red on my arm I couldn't even see my pink flesh. I saw blood all over the gloves of the paramedics, it was everywhere! I felt as if I was ready to throw up. First I saw Drew staring right at me with his beautiful green eyes. I felt a split second of peace. Then I saw more red instead of green and I think I passed out again.

I kept reliving the same exact memory in my head every night. It would just pop up in my dream somehow. Except every time the figure that broke through my window got in, he always got me. And then I'd wake up screaming and crying. I hadn't done that in ages! It was a constant nightmare. And it was always the same.

I refused to sleep in my bedroom because of my experience. My dad thought it was just an "After-shock phase that you will grow out of." But it had been over a week, and things weren't getting better. The dark scared the heck out of me. I always slept in the media room on an air mattress in the corner since there were no windows in there.

Every night, after everyone was asleep, Drew would creep into the media room and sit in one of the chairs. He would watch me fall asleep. And every time I had a nightmare and woke up crying, he was always by my side, stroking my hair, and soothing me with a poem he read in one of his "rainy day" books.

Tonight was different though. I woke up crying and crying and crying, but Drew wasn't there. He wasn't sitting in his chair. He wasn't even in the room. Maybe he had gone back to sleep? I wasn't sure. But I couldn't sleep now. I was too upset. I slowly got out of bed, and walked towards the door.

The hallways were pitch black, but I saw a small dim light coming from the kitchen. I slowly made my way to the steps. My hand gracefully slid down the hand rails as I walked down the spiral staircase. I had never noticed how large my house was. I knew it was really big, but not this big. The diamond chandelier hung above my head, the light from the kitchen sparkled upon it. I continued to make my way across the rug to the opening of the kitchen. I saw Drew and my father sitting at the kitchen table, apparently in a deep conversation.

"This is so stupid; I can't even begin to wonder…" I vaguely heard Drew say. My dad nodded. He took off his glasses and closed his eyes, sighing.

"I don't understand what someone would want with Mandie…or even this family! I want to think it has something to do with money issues, but who knows? They may want her for ransom? Or just want her dead. I don't even know. But the fact is: The same person who broke in last week got away. And whoever it is keeps coming back. The police surrounding the house at night have chased them off this entire week. The figure must be some trained assassin because we can't catch them! It's insane. But I'm not about to move Mandie to another home. Her safety is the most important." My dad told him. I couldn't believe it. The figure had been coming back! No wonder I had been in the media room. I knew nothing about the police or the figure! My dad was trying to hide it from me. To make sure I wouldn't worry about anything.

"I don't want her hurt either, Mr. Akeman. But I'm afraid that she's not going to get any better until the figure is caught. I've heard her nightmares before she wakes up. They get worse and worse. I'm surprised she goes back to sleep after them." Drew replied, staring at his hands.

"I think you're the reason Drew." My dad said. Drew's eyes widened. Ah geez. What was my dad going to tell him now? "Drew. Mandie had never had a real friend. Honestly I've seen girls walk in and out of her life. One of her only girl friends, who I don't approve of if you ask me, is out on vacation still. And that Mark kid hasn't been by in a couple weeks. I just, I don't think I've been the dad I need to be… and so I think that my idea could work very well to bring us back together, and for Mandie to still be safe. Drew you are a true friend. I think she is in love with you. In a friendly way of course. But I mean, the way you two click…its mind blowing. She's actually looked happy. And I don't see her going around with freak guys from school. I'm not as stupid as she thinks I am." My dad said slowly. Drew's lips crept into a perfect smile.

"So…what's your brilliant idea you wanted to talk to me about?" Drew asked innocently. My dad sighed deeply.

"I bought a lake house out in Seattle. It's far enough away that the figure wouldn't be able to trace her. And we would all go just for the summer. Your family included. I've already spoke to your father about it and he's all for it." My dad said slowly.

"Seattle? Isn't that a little extreme?" Drew asked. My dad nodded.

"It's the closest I could find." He said, doubt in his voice.

"But summer is almost over. Just a couple more weeks left…" Drew said. My dad shook his head.

"I know, but if you guys must go to school in Seattle, we will make arrangements. Bonney Lake is an amazing lake for us to go to." My dad said.

Drew shook his head and sighed. He nodded and then stood up. I quickly turned around and tried to run back up the stairs quietly. I slipped into the media room and got on my mattress. Right as I closed my eyes, I heard Drew walk into the room.

He walked over and sat by my mattress. I felt him touch the top of my head. A bunch of tingles went throughout my body. "Hey, Mandie…" he whispered. I froze and didn't say a word. Did he know I was awake? Then he continued.

"Hey, I know you're probably in the middle of a nightmare…but know that I'm here. It's okay," he said, and stroked my hair again. "I talked to your dad…and he told me about your relationship with him. Maybe you should try and fix that…but I know you can't really hear me right now…but hopefully this somehow is able to affect you…" he whispered. Then he was silent for a while. I drew a breath.

"By the way…if I'm a true friend to you…then I guess that definitely makes you a true friend to me…thank you…" he said. I smiled.

"You're welcome," I whispered back. Drew stopped stroking my hair. He took back his hand. I flipped to face him. Drew was shocked.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't here. Did you have another nightmare?" Drew asked. I nodded and smiled.

"It's fine… this mattress isn't the best anyway…" I said as things began to get awkward. Drew nodded, his smile disappeared.

"You are a real friend Drew," I said, as he stood up to head back to his chair. Drew nodded and smiled. "Thank you. For everything." I said, as Drew sat down in his chair. He continued to not say a word. But I knew that he didn't need to say anything. Drew understood everything I felt.

I couldn't sleep still. I kept tossing and turning, constantly. Drew never made a sound. I had to check to make sure he was still there. I was going to Seattle to be safe? I was so afraid. I didn't know what to feel or what to think about. After hours of constant worry and flipping and turning I began to cry. I was so frustrated. I heard Drew stand up.

"Mandie?" he asked. I continued to stifle a small cry.

"I just…want it to stop." I said softly. Drew came over like he always did. But this time he scooped me up into his arms and he set me on the media room couch and he sat next to me. I leaned my head into his shoulder and just got the scared tears out. Drew just sat there and let me cry. Finally I fell asleep on his shoulder. I felt like the safest person in the world.

Then in the morning, I woke up to find Drew still sitting in the same place.

"Morning sleepy head," he laughed and winked and stood up. He then left the room to get ready for breakfast. I smiled and plopped back down in the couch. I was ready for Seattle as long as I got to spend it with Drew.


	8. A Different Kind of Rain

**Chapter Eight: A Different Kind of Rain**

"All packed?" Drew asked me as we both hauled our overweight suitcases down the stairs. I nodded and stopped to catch my breath. I didn't realize I depended on so many things! "Need any help?" he chuckled as he set his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and came up to help me. I sighed and laughed.

"What in the world did you put in this suitcase Mandie?" Drew's English accent sounded surprised.

"Just some of my clothes and toiletries." I said, softly. He chuckled and haled my suitcase down the stairs. Then he unzipped my suitcase and started rummaging through all my toiletries. He tossed out my curling iron, my hair gel, my makeup bag, and my blow dryer. He only kept my flat iron and basic dental items.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, appalled. Drew then zipped my suitcase back up and headed out for the car. "Drew! Answer me!" I called as I stormed after him. Drew put my suitcase in the trunk of my convertible. Drew's family was driving with my dad, while Drew, Anna, and I drove my convertible. My dad finally got a new car, and he could seat at least seven. He said it was a special "Hybrid" car and it gives him good publicity.

"You don't need all those things Mandie. We're going to a lake. We're swimming, we're going to go boating, and you don't need makeup because we're not going anywhere!" he explained to my shocked face.

"You can't just throw that stuff out on the floor! It's my property!" I said, angry as ever. Drew just smiled and laughed and headed back inside for his suitcase.

"Mandie!" My dad called, I turned to see him, with my arms crossed. "Pick up your stuff by the stairs! You know we don't leave those kinds of things around the house!" he said. I threw my hands up in the air and stormed back into the house.

It had been an hour and we were still on the road. I was following my dad. Soon I started to see all the amazing beaches fly right past me. Soon the weather wasn't as sunny anymore, and the drizzling rain began to start. It was so lame. We had to put up the cover, so the wind couldn't blow through my hair anymore. Then, it began to pour.

"Are we already in Seattle?" Anna asked, noticing the weather. Drew chuckled.

"No, were far north of Los Angeles. It must be raining here too." He said. Drew had been messing with my radio. He always switched back and forth between his radio station and mine. We finally had come to an agreement about how we would listen to music in my car.

Time kept going on and on and the rain wasn't letting up. It was just like that rainy day a few weeks ago when the figure entered my house. The nightmares had finally stopped, but the memories didn't. Drew remained checking on me at night, and he always left me notes to wake up to in the morning.

"So we definitely need to go to Pike's Marketplace when we reach Seattle. We can buy some seafood for dinner. My mother is an excellent fish chef." Drew said. He had been reading a travel magazine about Seattle. I shook my head.

"You know I hate seafood. I'm not going to eat it." I stated, trying to see through the pounding rain on my windshield. Drew scoffed.

"Don't refuse my mother's cooking! That's just rude and uncivilized. Like you tell me when I'm forced to do the dishes, "Suck it up. It'll be over soon." So Mandie… maybe you should "Suck it up,"" he replied using his fingers for quotation marks. I couldn't help but laugh. The way his voice rang in my ears was incredible. His voice was like musical notes. Every time he spoke it meant something to me.

"Can we go to the space needle?" Anna piped up in the back. Her iPod had been her ears for the entire road trip.

"Of course we can! That's like, the best part of Seattle! We also need to ride the steamboat type thing. It's so much fun! You take it to downtown Seattle. It's very relaxing. My dad and I went on it a couple years ago. We had a date on there. The stars were so pretty over the bay of Seattle." I said, reliving the moment of when I was ten and my dad took me to Seattle since he had a movie job up there.

"Do you know where the first Starbucks is?" Drew asked, in a curious voice as he flipped to a page with the Starbucks symbol. I chuckled.

"Of course I know where that is! It's so small, but it's so cool to see! It's where the amazing coffee began!" I laughed. Drew chuckled along with me and he went flipping through his magazine.

It seemed like time kept going on and on and on. The highway seemed to never stop. I wasn't sure when we were stopping or when we were going to get there but I knew it wasn't soon. The rain seemed to get worse as we went even more north. Drew tried to help me out by telling me if he saw anything. Soon the rain got so bad I lost track of my dad's car. It was late at night and the rain was pouring so hard I could barely see a few a feet in front of me. I was taking the highway very slow hoping that no one would run into me and that I wouldn't run into anyone in front.

Drew was very concerned. Anna had fallen asleep in the back. I couldn't see anything and it seemed like the road never ended. We kept alert eyes the entire time. Soon it had been at least an hour and my dad was long gone.

"Please call my dad," I said, my voice shaking. Drew picked up my cell phone.

"There's no service…" he muttered. I pounded the wheel of the car.

"You've got to be kidding me! I have signal everywhere! We're on the freaking highway!" I said, getting frustrated.

"It's okay Mandie." I heard the confidence in Drew's voice. He wasn't afraid. That made me feel so much safer. "Look, the storm has probably caused the power lines to go out. Here's an exit up here, take it." He said, pointing ahead. I slowly got off the highway, still not being able to see. Right as I was about to take the exit, I saw it. I saw the five feet high water. The exit was flooded.

"Why did you stop?" Drew asked, looking at me.

"The exit… the road is flooded! I can't take it!" I said. Drew shook his head.

"Back up and get up to eighty miles. Then you'll skid right through it." He said. My mouth dropped open.

"You're kidding me. Drew I can't do that. My car will die. We will not make it. We're going to get stuck and then drown in there. We can't do that." I said, stern. I wasn't about to risk my life just so I could get off this highway. Drew didn't say anymore. All I could hear was the hard pounding rain outside. It was hitting the car like bullets. I could barely hear myself thinking.

Drew was crazy, but I trusted him with everything. I backed up the car until I was back on the highway. I was pretty sure no one else was on the road except me. This was the most rain I had ever seen in my life. I heard the wind howling around me. I wiped my nervous sweaty hand on my jeans and adjusted my tank top and jacket. If I was going to die I wanted to do it in style.

I revved my engine. Anna finally woke up and noticed the crazy thing I was about to do. I couldn't even see the flooded exit at this point. All I needed to do was go straight as fast as I could and I would hopefully get through the exit. This was crazy! Insane! Psychotic!

I then took off and pressed the gas pedal as hard as I could. We headed right into the five foot high water. There was a point where the entire car was under the water. I didn't even look at my speed gauge. I kept the gas pedal down as hard as I could. My heart was thumping out of my chest. I couldn't see anything in front of me. Finally I realized my car wasn't going to get out of this water.

"Drew!" I called out. Drew grabbed the wheel from my hands and he kept telling me to push down the gas pedal. He then put the car in reverse and the car went backwards. I didn't understand which direction we were going anymore. Drew was turning the car a million different directions. I heard Anna's breathing get shallow. I wasn't sure where we were but suddenly Drew yelled to me to take my foot off the pedal. He turned on the parking break. He unbuckled his seatbelt and told Anna to do the same.

"What?" I asked, but I tore off my seatbelt. Drew rolled down his window and he began to climb out. The kid was crazy! "Go Anna!" I hollered at her. She got in the front seat and climbed out of the car. I then went into the passenger seat. I saw Drew's hand. They were standing on top of my car. I guess his idea didn't work out too well.

Drew grabbed my hand and pulled me up. Right as I got on top of the car, I was soaking west. The rain even seemed to hurt it was pounding on me so hard. I could barely see Drew. He held on to Anna and me carefully. I saw why we were on top of my car. Half of it was in the water; the front end was sticking up out of the water. We were going to jump into the foot high water.

Drew jumped first and Anna jumped to him. The water came up to their knees where they were. It was higher up. We were going to walk off the highway exit. There was so much dirty water everywhere. I couldn't see a thing. I suddenly jumped, feeling as if I was going to fall at any second. I remembered hitting Drew's hands. He grabbed my arm roughly, but then he lost his balance and we both were sent straight into the rushing deep water by my car. I tried to keep my head above water but I didn't know where "up" was.

"Drew! Anna!" I called quickly, water rushing into my mouth. I was being thrashed in so many different directions. I had no control of anything! I was being rushed downstream. I didn't know when it would end. I didn't know if I would live. I felt myself say goodbye to Drew. I hoped he was alive. I hoped I would get out of this. Why was all this happening to me? What if I could never find my dad again? What if I never got to tell Drew how I felt about him? I felt something grab my hand. It was Drew! He quickly began swimming towards Anna, who couldn't see us. I didn't know where I was going; I was on a super adrenaline rush. I was freezing cold and I could only see Drew's strong arms holding me tight.

I then felt myself being held up in the foot high water. Drew was holding me up. I then saw my car being rushed down stream. I then noticed where the foot high water was. It was on the edge of the highway. Even through all that we still weren't off the high way. I didn't understand any of it. Drew held be close.

"I almost lost you Mandie. Oh my goodness," he said, hugging me super tight. I didn't say anything. What were we going to do? My luggage was in my car! All of ours were!

Drew slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around Anna whose tears couldn't be seen in all the rain. What was going to happen? Did we have to spend all night in this rain? We couldn't go anywhere without drowning.

For the first time I felt completely vulnerable. For the first time, I actually saw how much I was in love with Drew. He had even saved my life. At least twice. And it was a different kind of love. It was a love that made me feel like if I ever lost him; my world would be crushed under my fingertips. And I had never felt that way about anybody. Ever.


	9. Love Comes in Balcony Packages

Love Comes in Balcony Packages

I felt overpowered. I felt insane. I felt stubborn. And I felt loved. "One room for three please," Drew said as we walked into an old shabby motel. The word "sketchy" lingered in my mind as we were handed our key to the "Motel Inn".

"Please enjoy your stay here," the innkeeper mumbled, turning back to his newspaper. How did we get off the highway? With a lot of arm strength and a whole lot of Drew's back. Drew put Anna on his back and held me in his arms as he treaded through the high waters rushing at him from every point. He managed to cling onto the highway rails as we slowly made our way down the exit. I had never felt so save in my life. We reached the bottom of the exit and came across a motel. As sketchy as it was, we were all going to die if we didn't get out of the rain.

We slowly made our way down the hallways of the motel. A laundry detergent smell lingered in my nose. Cigarettes were tossed on the floor and stains on the walls and carpet were highly noticeable. I gagged as I saw the room we were staying in. An out-dated old spice scent was coming from the bathroom. Not to mention the disgusting sight of the toilet.

"This definitely did not pass inspection…" I muttered, sitting on the bed. I was wet, irritated, grossed out, and wanted a nice shower in a gold bathtub like the one my dad had in his bathroom. But no. I got mold and dead bugs.

Anna started sniffling and didn't dare touch the bed I was sitting on. "Okay, I don't need the crying Anna," Drew said sternly. My eyes widened at his sudden snap of anger. "I just carried you down through a near-death experience. The least you can do is enjoy the motel room that I got for twenty dollars. Foreigners get discounts apparently," he said, meeting my eyes. "I don't need the complaints. I can't feel my back and I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick, so do not say a word to me for the rest of the night!" he exclaimed, and stormed into the bathroom.

Once the water was running, I pulled Anna into a hug. "He's right sweetie. We need to be grateful we lived through that okay? Now let's rest up and hopefully we can call my dad in the morning." I said, drying Anna's tears. I pulled down the sheets and her in her damp outfit climbed into bed and fell right asleep. I looked at myself in the mirror. Praise the Lord for pony-tail holders. I put my wavy blonde hair up and felt a wave of exhaustion come over me.

"Don't get too comfortable, I hear Drew say as he walked out of the shower in his clothes. I raised my eyebrows. "I need to show you something," he smiled. We both headed out of the hotel room and into the lobby. The rain was starting to let up a little bit, and the road was fairly visible. We both peered out a window and I saw the city of Seattle light up before my eyes. "We're almost there,"  
Drew smiled. I saw the space needle glow and the other buildings shine their colors. Even in the rain a sense of beauty could be seen.

"Dad? Yes, I'm fine." I said into the telephone. The sun was shining bright and the roads were being drained by the firemen. No one was out and all the businesses were closed. "I don't know where I am. No, it's a motel. Off of the highway. Yes, my car is somewhere in the water. Dad, I don't know, but I am alive!" I said. My dad rambled about how he was on his way and hung up. I gave the pay telephone to the innkeeper who just rolled his eyes.

We all settled into the lobby chairs awaiting my dad's arrival. After seeing the Seattle lights, Drew took my back to the room and tucked me in with Anna. Then he fell asleep on the couch and didn't wake up until after I had. I dreamt about Drew. I always dream about him, but last night was the most I had. I dreamt about his face, his arms carrying me, and his smile. He was perfect. He could talk like an angel and smile like the sun, but I wasn't sure if his main desire was my heart or not.

"Mandie, you okay?" Drew asked, his eyes staying on me. I smiled and nodded and continued to go back into my day dreams. "You're one crazy kid," he winked. I blushed and felt the butterflies swarm around inside of me. Sighing, I slowly felt my eyes drift to a close, and next thing I knew, Drew grabbed my hand and bent down and kissed it.

My eyes flew open and I felt a smile creep on my lips. "You're beautiful Mandie, and I'm just so happy you are alive." He whispered and let go of my hand. I blushed some more and smiled at him.

"Thank you Drew," and inside my head, I thought, _I love you._ I heard my dad's car pull up with his loud muzzle and I ran out into my dad's arms. Drew and Anna went to see their parents. My dad stroked my face.

"It's okay baby girl, it's okay." He said softly.

"I'm sorry dad, I'm so sorry, I just… I panicked and couldn't see, and my car…I'm sorry," I heard myself sob into his shirt. My dad shook his head.

"It's fine. You're alive and that's all that matters. Come on, let's go home okay?" he said and we headed out to out lake house.

Anna blabbed excitedly how strong her brother was and how he saved us and all her take on the adventure. I had never heard her talk that fast before. I sat in the back with Drew. We were having a thumb war as we listened to our parents gasp and laugh at Anna's story. Drew held my thumb down hard and I pulled away in pain. I hit him on the back and he grunted.

"Sorry, back hurts from yesterday," he whispered, not wanting to interrupt Anna. I apologized quickly and grabbed his hand again to begin another round of thumb wars. "You know," he said as he got my thumb again, "you were very easy to deal with through the whole thing," he said, as I got his thumb.

"Wow, thanks." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Drew coughed.

"No really," he said, crushing my thumb under his once more, "you were stunning through the entire near-death experience," he said, smiling. I shrugged.

"You know me, I tend to handle drastic situations well," I rolled my eyes, struggling to get my small thumb upon his. Drew quickly stopped the game and laced his fingers through mine.

"You are the bravest girl I've ever met, and I honor you for that. But next time, let's try to avoid my back okay?" he winked and unlaced his fingers. I felt my fingers jump for joy and they became hot and sweaty. Did that just happen? Was that a sign from him to me?

I looked out the window to see us pull up in front of a house with mossy trees and a beautiful lake behind it.

"Only twenty minutes away from downtown!" my dad told Drew's father. Drew helped me get out of the car and he had his hands on my shoulders as we walked up to the house. My dad turned the key to reveal the most beautiful home I had ever seen. It was like a cute cottage you would see in fairy-tales!

"Drew, you and Mandie's rooms are upstairs. Mandie's has the balcony, and Drew, you have the secret room," my dad winked. Drew smiled. I have him a questioning look but he ignored it and winked. I headed up to my room, ready to see the amazing shower I would be able to stand in. Right when I entered my room I saw the lake. I saw the beautiful sparkling lake in the distance off of the balcony. Catching my breath, I looked to see the small boat at our dock. Dad wanted me to be happy.

"Beautiful isn't it?" my dad exclaimed coming out onto the balcony with me, my dad put his arm around me. "You're beautiful Mandie, and I apologize for the way I haven't been there for you. But I want you to know I love you." He said. I looked up at my dad.

"Dad, I will always love you." I said and we both turned to head back into the house.


	10. Most Productive Conversation

**I apologize for the delay. School overpowered me recently. I hope these chapters can make up for it**

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Most Productive Conversation

"Mandie!" Anna called from the dock. She was in her bathing suit, ready to go out on the lake. I chuckled from the kitchen as I washed the last bowl from breakfast. "I don't know how to work the boat," Anna called back. Anna's mother smiled at me and she headed out to help Anna out.

"Need help?" Drew asked, grabbing a towel. I shook my head and watched Mrs. Stevens and Anna laugh as they failed to turn the boat on. Drew's eyes lingered on my face, his facial expressions showing concern. "You okay Mandie?" he asked as he raised his hand to stroke my hair, but then pulled away awkwardly. I smiled and turned to him.

"I'm fine, I just… I wish I had that mother-daughter relationship sometimes." I said, with a pang of jealousy for Anna. Drew put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it without saying a word. He picked up a dish, despite my urge for him not to, and he began washing it. The beach house was close to perfect since we had been cleaning it for the past day. My dad took Drew, Anna, and me to go shopping for new clothes and toiletries. I finally had some updated clean stuff.

"I want to go to Pike's Place today, if that's alright." Drew said after a long pause. I chuckled.

"Fine, I'll take you, but we aren't getting seafood. Understand?" I said, smiling. Drew rolled his eyes and set the towel down. I grabbed my keys and we headed out to my car.

We arrived at Pike's Place after tussling and turning through the lake brush and horribly paved roads. The city was full of cars and people and the ocean could be smelled from anywhere. I heard seagulls and for once, the sun was brightly shining over Seattle.

We walked through the market place avoiding as many people as we could. I saw all the different sellers and their items. I felt like I was in a real marketplace! "Check these out," Drew chuckled, and he pointed to some voodoo dolls.

"Those are a joke," I winked and we headed down. "I should buy these for my dad," I said as we came upon a classic literature book stand. I picked up a copy of "King Lear", and Drew shook his head.

"Such a tragedy," he exclaimed and then picked up "Don Quixote". I slapped that book out of his hand.

"Gag me. Had to read that in school once," I rolled my eyes. We continued walking down through the marketplace. We came upon an old diner type place. "Want to eat here?" I asked. Drew nodded and we both walked in. Talk about bar, this place had the major sports bar theme going on. We were seated by a girl in skimpy clothing. She only spoke to Drew and he just smiled and ordered for us. "Seattle girls…" I muttered when she walked away.

"See? That's what you used to wear," Drew said, reading my mind. My eyes widened.

"Did not! It wasn't that bad. Dad wouldn't have let me leave the house, are you kidding me?" I was majorly offended. Drew just crossed his eyes and smirked.

"We should go to the docks around here. They probably have fresh fish. Better than here!" he said. I put my head in my hands. "Trust me. Try my mom's halibut and you will be wishing she made it every day." He said. "The cod is amazing in fish and chips. England makes it the best of course, but I've had some in America and they are just as swell." He exclaimed, examining the menu.

"You know what we should do? Go on the ferry around here. It would be fun! The wind in your face… it feels amazing!" I exclaimed, imagining myself on a boat like the Titanic. "You would enjoy it," I said, as the waitress brought our drinks.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked Drew. Drew shook his head and ordered off the menu. She turned to me and smirked.

"I'll have the burger please," I said softly. She frowned and walked off. I rolled my eyes and Drew tapped my foot with his underneath the table. "Looks like you've got an admirer." I said, examining my fingers. Drew shook his head fast.

"She's nothing. All she looks for is looks, not personality. And no guy finds attraction in a girl with barely any clothes on." He said.

"That is a lie. Guys always go for looks. At least normal ones do. Have you ever been to the beach parties? That's where the action happens. I used to be the life of them, I'll regret. But guys never cared about who I was. So I dressed as skimpy as I could. That's how you get the attention as a girl." I explained, feeling bad about how my life had been.

"This is a twisted world. Guys shouldn't use you like that. They should respect you." He said, agitated. His leg started rubbing mine under the table.

"Then what is real respect Drew?" I asked, testing him, and I moved my leg away.

Just as Drew was about to speak, his eyes widened. "Don't turn around Mandie. Don't turn around." He said in a whisper. Suddenly I had the urge to turn around. "If you turn around… I swear…" he said again, keeping his eyes on whatever was behind me. Then I heard the sweet honey voice.

"Table for three please," Mark's voice rang.

"What the heck is he doing here?" I asked, suddenly beginning to freak out. Drew shrugged as he glared at Mark.

"I don't have a good feeling about him Mandie. I think… I think he's dangerous." He whispered. I shook my head.

"Mark couldn't hurt anything. Especially not me. You think he's the one who tried to break into my window don't you?" I asked, appalled. "I trust Mark. As much of a jerk he is, he would never try to kill me! You're the jerk for thinking that!" I said. Drew rolled his eyes.

"Why would he be in Seattle if he wasn't following you?" he asked me. I crossed my arms.

"His uncle owns a lake house an hour from here. Everyone knows that. He's hosted parties there for years." I said. Drew sighed.

"Great. Can't wait to see him around all the time." He mumbled. I was annoyed. Drew tells me how much of a horrible person I was, and then turns around and goes off on me about Mark.

"You're jealous of Mark because I flirt with him a lot. That's what it is." I concluded. Drew scoffed.

"You wish Mandie. I just don't like him." He said.

"You can't just not like someone Drew. There has to be a reason. You're jealous because I flirt with him instead of you." I said, keeping my arms crossed. Drew rolled his eyes. Mark's group sat down at a table that was visible to him.

Drew stood up and told the waitress that he would pay for the drinks, but that he was leaving. The waitress looked disappointed. He stormed out of the restaurant with me trailing behind him. "You're a joke Drew," I said I followed him all the way onto a major dock leading out onto the ocean. "You can't just leave me in a restaurant. That's definitely respect right there isn't it. Was I right Drew? Are you jealous?" I nagged him. I was sick of his perfection. For once, I wanted to be right.

Drew turned to me, his eyes narrowed. "You are so selfish and prideful and all of those awful things!" he said sternly. I pushed him back.

"At least I'm honest about my feelings. And I don't go off on you and tell you you're wrong on everything!"

"Because I'm always right!" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm done with this Drew. Mark is not a bad guy!" I threw my hands up and started walking away. "Next time you're jealous, just tell me!" I hollered back. I heard Drew stomp behind me. He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "What, is this your respect now?" I asked, pulling my arm away.

"You're so annoying," he muttered and then laid his lips onto mine.

I had to double take. Was Drew actually kissing me? Were these his lips? I felt everything go fuzzy as I kissed him back with just as much force. I had more than enough butterflies as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Drew didn't stop kissing me and I couldn't help but smile. I felt my leg pop like the scene in "Princess Diaries". Drew finally pulled away into a smile.

"It's about time you stopped talking." He said and he leaned in to kiss me again. I felt like I was floating on air. I then heard footsteps on the dock behind me.

"I knew you were after my girl," Mark's voice echoed. _Kill me now._ I thought as I spun around to face Mark and the two guys behind him. They looked awfully familiar. "Don't you dare think you're going to get away with this…" Mark's eyes darted from Drew to me. "Come on babe. I forgive you. Let's go back to the beach. I think it's time you started realizing whose good for you." Mark came up and grabbed my wrist.

"Let go of me Mark!" I yanked away and ran back to Drew.

"Touch her again…" Drew started but Mark already had a gun.

"I went into the wrong window that night," Mark chuckled. "I've used this gun to threaten your family, I'm pretty sure I have no problem using it on you." He said to Drew. I felt my heart sink.

"You were right," I whispered to Drew. Drew held me tightly behind him. Mark was the one at my house that night. He was the one who got in my window. It was him all along. But why?

Drew's grip got tighter and then with full force, Drew pushed me off the dock. I went swirling in the water unable to see what was going on. I saw Drew's body dive into the lake and grab my hand. He started swimming under the dock in the murky water. We came up to the surface to be right under Mark's feet.

"Head to their lake house. It's about time we thanked Mr. Akeman for calling the police on us last time. "

_(Note to self: Never ever dump a hot guy for a hotter guy. He just might want to kill you.)_


End file.
